This is a monthly subscription box filled with samples of vegan products, mostly food, for you to try. It was so fun receiving our box for review. It was filled with products that I like, and one especially (Teese cheese) that I have been really wanting to try. The only non-food product in this box was a lip balm. I took pictures of all the products out of their packaging, but then that just got to be too many pictures. So, you'll have to do with what I've pictured here. :-) Keep reading for a detailed review of these products, and how I feel about the subscription box in general.
Here are the products kind of jumbled together in our box. It was stuffed full of goodies. Besides the products, there were coupons and a list of the products that were sent.
Here's another shot of everything we got outside of the box. From left to right we have Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips, Skinny Pop Popcorn, Teeccino Herbal Coffee French Roast Organic Dark Roast, 22 Days Plant Protein Power Chocolate, Oloves Lemony Lover, 22 Days PB + Chocolate Chip Nirvana Vegan Protein Bar, Milas Roasted Peppers & Artichoke Bruschetta, Meow Meow Tweet Lip Balm Rosemary Eucalyptus, Teese Vegan Cheese Alternative, and Life is Life Parmesan Style Aged Nut Cheese. Please note, I did not misspell any names; if one or two seem "off," that is how they are really spelled.
So, in order of how we tested them:
22 Days PB + Chocolate Chip Nirvana Vegan Protein Bar:
Ingredients: Organic Rice Protein, Organic Peanut Butter, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Dates, Organic Inulin, Organic Dark Chocolate Chips, Organic Sesame Seeds, Organic Sprouted Flax.
Of course you knew we'd I'd have to pick the chocolate bar to down first. Did I really have to share? Of course! As a matter of fact, my whole family tried each and every one of these samples and gave me their honest feedback. Here's what they had to say about this bar:
JK: Good! It looks like seitan.
GR: It's edible.
SR: You can definitely taste the peanut butter; I like the chocolate chips.
Me: Besides a slight chalky taste, which is not unpleasant, I liked it.
G: It's one of the best protein bars I've ever tasted.
Overall, we gave the bar a thumbs up!
Oloves Lemony Lover:
Ingredients: Pitted green olives 91%, sunflower oil, lemon pieces 3%, garlic, oregano, salt, vinegar, acidifiers: lactic acid and citric acid.
JK: They're great!
GR: Mmm, they're pretty good!
SR: They're really good; they're one of the best olives I've had.
Me: They are really good, very lemony.
G: I would eat them, if I had other olives to mix them in with. It's not bad, a good olive blend.
Overall, we gave the olives a thumbs up!
Teese Vegan Cheese Alternative:
Ingredients: Filtered water, tapioca maltodextrin, tapioca starch, coconut oil and/or sunflower oil, pea protein, yeast extract, salt, carrageenan, vegan natural flavors, lactic acid (vegan), natural white color added, annatto.
So, this is non-gmo and gluten-free, as well. It says on the package that it's great for mac and cheese, so that how we tested it. I made a big bowl of mac and cheese and we dug in.
JK: Good.
GR: Liked the cheese, but missed the rest of it that was spilled. (See my comment for explanation.)
SR: Doesn't like cheese, so didn't taste it.
Me: I liked the flavor. What surprised me though, was the unexpected explosion and subsequent propulsion of a few tablespoons of cheese when I punctured the tube. That was a good photo!
G: I wouldn't not eat it, but it's a little too sweet.
Overall, we gave the Teese a thumbs up.
Life is Life Parmesan Style Aged Nut Cheese:
Ingredients: Cashews, Nutritional Yeast, Soybeans, Salt, Tamari, Lactic Acid.
JK: Good.
GR: Didn't care for it.
SR: (Dared to taste this even though she doesn't like cheese, but she likes nutritional yeast flakes.) I'd take this in small quantities.
Me: This was a very small sample, about one teaspoon. So, I made pasta and sauce and sprinkled just the tiniest bit on to everyone's serving. What I tasted, I thought was subtle but good.
G: Strong but tasty.
Overall, we gave the parmesan cheese a thumbs up!
Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips:
Ingredients: Stone Ground Corn, High Oleic Sunflower Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Canola Oil, Sweet Potato, Corn Bran, Evaporated Cane Juice, Sea Salt.
JK: They're fine.
GR: Doesn't like sweet potatoes, so she doesn't like these.
SR: They tasted like a combination of tortilla chips and potato chips. She liked them.
Me: Yes!
G: They're good.
Overall, we gave the sweet potato chips a thumbs up!
Skinny Pop Popcorn:
Ingredients: All Natural Popcorn, Sunflower Oil and Salt. "That's all. Nothing More. Nothing Less."
JK: Didn't like this.
GR: It's okay.
SR: Liked this.
Me: I liked this.
G: Okay for diet popcorn.
Overall, we gave the popcorn a thumbs up!
Meow Meow Tweet Lip Balm Rosemary Eucalyptus:
Ingredients: Cocoa butter, virgin coconut oil, hempseed oil, candelilla wax, essential oils of rosemary, eucalyptus and peppermint.
JK: At first thought he liked it, but didn't like the smell.
GR: Didn't like this.
SR: Was worried about being poisoned by the eucalyptus, but also didn't like it.
Me: Was overpowered by the menthol-like smell and bitter taste. I did like the tingling on my lip and the smooth texture. But, I didn't like it enough to say yes, I like it.
G: Loved it! He earned it for his pocket.
Overall, we gave the lip balm a thumbs down!
Teecino Herbal Coffee French Roast Organic Dark Roast:
Ingredients: Organic carob, organic barley, organic chicory, organic ramon seeds, natural coffee flavor.
This was one tea bag-like serving that G steeped in a mug, which we all shared.
JK: Didn't like it. - no surprise there!
GR: Pretty good!
SR: Liked the tea bag for convenience. Better than the coffee at church but not better than Dad's coffee.
Me: I'm not a coffee drinker, but I gave this a whirl. Ready? It tastes like coffee!
G: Everyone who knows him knows that G is the ultimate coffee snob. He also liked the bag and thought it would be good for the office for those people who didn't like the office coffee. He didn't personally care for it but thought the flavor got better the longer it steeped. Prefers caffeinated coffee and doesn't see the point in drinking caffeine-free coffee. But, he would accept this in a social setting!
Overall, we gave the coffee a thumbs up!
22 Days Plant Protein Power Chocolate:
Ingredients: Organic fruit and vegetable blend, organic flaxseed, organic whole grain brown rice protein, organic cocoa, organic guar gum, organic natural flavor, sea salt, organic stevia leaf extract.
The directions said you could blend or mix this with water, so I whisked it with water in a large mug. Definitely should have been blended. I could not get out the lumps. Also, we all agreed it would have tasted better with a tall cold glass of your favorite vegan milk.
All of us: None of this liked this product. The flavor was off, it didn't taste good in water, and it was too lumpy no matter how long and hard I whisked it.
Overall, we gave the protein power a thumbs down!
Milas Roasted Peppers & Artichoke Bruschetta:
Ingredients: Roasted Pepper, Onion, Artichoke, Vegetable Oil, Tomato Paste, Garlic, Salt, Vinegar, Thyme, Black Pepper, Basil.
I toasted a burger bun and spread this small sample on for all of us to taste.
JK: Nope - not surprising to Mom.
GR: Doesn't care for bruschetta, but this one was okay.
SR: Likes the sour-y part of it.
Me: Yes! I loved it!
G: Would eat it.
Overall, we gave the bruschetta a thumbs up!
Whew, that was a lot! So, for the box in general, I think this is a great idea. It gives you a chance to do just what I did: try a sample of something to see if you like it before you plunk down money and/or shipping costs. I would have liked to see larger samples in the parmesan cheese and coffee, but everything else was large enough. I also liked the variety of samples. Their website is: www.vegancuts.com. I'm also looking into being an affiliate with them. So, if I can figure out how to do their link, you may see that up on my page. Keep an eye out for it. Overall, my family loved VeganCuts!
looks like youve got some great loot there! i used to love those good food chips!
ReplyDeletewow, what a great review you did!! Nice job.
ReplyDeletePeace and Raw Health,
Elizabeth
Great review! I like how you got everyone to try everything for a variety of opinions. I've been thinking about getting a Vegan Cuts box for a while.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I call a comprehensive review. No wonder you've fallen behind. :) I've fallen
ReplyDeletebehind, too on products and cookbooks. Doing the reviews is harder than agreeing to do them.
Argh - another vegan cuts box review that makes me cry out for them to ship over here. Looks like a great selection there, and the coupons is a really nice touch too!
ReplyDeleteAh, so cool to have all the family trying the products, and read all the different (and honest) opinions :-).
ReplyDeleteCiao
Alessandra
What a great review. I could just imagine everyone giving their input.
ReplyDeleteI am taking a couple dozen of protein bars with me to India. So I was interested in your protein bar review. I don't normally eat them and so I am starting from scratch in finding out what I'll like.
GFHT, I forget - can you not eat corn? I think they are gluten free.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, thank you so much.
Sage, I think they are definitely worth it.
Andrea, I feel so bad when I fall behind. I know they are waiting for a review to be posted.
Joey, too bad they don't ship there!
Alessandra, definitely, I try to be as honest as possible, and so does my family.
FruitfulWords, these bars would be great, as well as Luna and Cliff bars. Vegan and tasty. Mm-mmm.